Just before the voting began, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said from the floor that he could offer five words to Americans: “Help is on the way.” By no means was this piece of legislation perfect. “This legislation is not a silver bullet,” he said, adding that “recovery will take time.”

Deeply divided, Senate Democrats, joined by three Republicans, also summoned Senator Edward M. Kennedy from Florida to give them a little more than 60 votes. (That magic number is the hurdle to clear.) Senator Kennedy, who has been battling brain cancer, had gone to the Sunshine State after a brief hospitalization prompted by his collapse at the Capitol on Inauguration Day.

He stayed briefly in the Senate chamber, but left after his “Aye” vote was recorded. (Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, did not vote on the measure tonight. Nor did Senator Judd Gregg, Republican of New Hampshire, — he’s under consideration to become Commerce Secretary and his replacement in the Senate won’t be named until after he is confirmed.)

Late last week, the Senate reached a compromise forged by a group of senators, and led by Susan Collins, Republican of Maine and Ben Nelson, Democrat of Nebraska.

As my colleague David Herszenhorn laid out once a tentative deal was reached:

But the competing bills now reflect substantially different approaches. The House puts greater emphasis on helping states and localities avoid wide-scale cuts in services and layoffs of public employees. The Senate cut $40 billion of that aid from its bill, which is expected to be approved Tuesday.

The Senate plan, reached in an agreement late Friday between Democrats and three moderate Republicans, focuses somewhat more heavily on tax cuts, provides far less generous health care subsidies for the unemployed and lowers a proposed increase in food stamps.

To help allay Republican concerns about the cost, the Senate proposal even scales back President Obama’s signature middle-class tax cut. The Senate plan also creates new tax incentives to encourage Americans to buy homes and cars within the next year.

The shaving off of certain spending — for example in state relief aid — did nothing to sway Republican senators, who spent much of this afternoon on and off the Senate floor ratcheting up their criticisms that the stimulus bill was way too large, and did not offer the appropriate ways to stimulate the economy.

If the Senate bill is formally passed tomorrow, it’s probably that it would go to a conference committee where it would have to be reconciled with the House version, which passed without a single Republican vote.

The current US government economic stimulation plan is to print up a bunch of new paper money, T-Bills, Bonds, and other similar paper securities and sell these securities (mostly to foreign investors of producing and manufacturing countries) to get cash pay US people to re-build and expand the US infrastructure (Pork Barrel Projects) in order to reduce unemployment. This money will probably be spent on illegal alien labor, imported earth-moving machinery, imported materials (Steel, equipment, Pipe & Wire), new imported private airplanes, outsourced engineering, outsourced CAD drafting, etc., and the US workers will still be mostly unemployed? Foreign governments and foreign individuals will continue to use these freshly printed dollars that they earned in exchange for their products that they exported to the USA to purchase title to real estate, forests, industries, breweries, hotels, factories, casinos, financial institutions and title to everything else of value that is located in the USA. This is sort-of like selling our body parts to keep from working!!!!! Any Economic Stimulus Spending also needs to prohibit any imported products (even if we no longer manufacture those products) from being purchased with these funds, and also prohibit all outsourcing of the Labor Required. This is probably necessary at this time, even if it will cause massive inflation to the point that it takes a day’s wages to buy one loaf of bread.

I’m not sure that most Americans realize this bill will also do great damage to our system of healthcare by nationalizing our healthcare records and creating new controls over how doctors make decisions. I was pleased to see Pew shows poll numbers for Porkulus declining… I think the American people are waking up to the reality of this dangerous and unnecessary bill.

I’m glad Obama got a huge black eye running through this process. He can hold his head up high knowing he worked as hard as he could, short of allowing the GOP to write the bill, to accommodate Republicans. I’m also glad his honeymoon is over, he doesn’t do too well with good news swirling all around him.

I want him to succeed in the toughest circumstances available early on and this Stimulus bill was a classic clash of philosophy between Republicans and Democrats. He’s taken just 2 weeks to learn some hard lessons that take some Presidents longer to learn. Passing Healthcare and Card Check will be brutal, bloody battles but at least he’s seen the Republican script.

Obama is wicked sharp, but some arrogance was beginning to creep into him with the Geithner, Daschle situation. If Obama continues working at breakneck pace for another 6-8 months, he will wear out some of his own staff but he’ll also wear out Republicans. Voinovich is toast, it’s a good thing he’s retiring. Charlie Crist can see which way the wind is blowing and that’s why he’ll be at tomorrow’s event with Obama.

You forgot outsourced IT and imported engineers and IT professionals on H1B Visas. There is nothing in the legislation that states that the stimulus money will go to American workers and American companies. Thus, you are right many Americans may not get a job as the result of this. As fro inflation, if indeed the federal reserve does not keep this in check, then inflation could take off like a rocket. However, right now it is quite possible that deflation could take off like a rocket.

Amazing what 10 years of deregulation, misguided tax cuts, lack of oversight, greed and speculation has done. When everyone in this country grasps the prospect how dire thing really are, then people may see what needs to be done. But, by the time they do it; it may be too late. People (citizens, Congress, state governments and business) have long believed that another Great Depression and unfortunately this was a misplaced belief. Those grainy newsreels of the 1930s, may be shot in digital technology in the upcoming weeks if things continue on the current course.

John D,
I remember the last dangerous bill that passed with zero Republican votes, it was called the Deficit Reduction Act of 1993. Republicans predicted doom and gloom, saying it would destroy the economy. Clinton lost both houses of congress from previously strong Republican majorities the next year. The American people punished him for raising taxes and putting the country on the correct long-term path to a balanced budget. With bond markets convinced that the government finances were in order, the economy boomed and the surpluses of the Clinton years were promptly wasted by a Texan genius called George W Bush.

From a Game Theory perspective, its easy to understand the Republicans’ position by drawing a simple decision tree. It’s rational not to support a bill that is asymmetrically non-beneficial to your party’s political interest. Supporting a Stimulus that succeeds offers no net benefits for the GOP, supporting a Stimulus that ultimately fails offers joint blame and limited benefits; opposing a successful Stimulus merely preserves the status quo, opposing a Stimulus that ultimately fails offers significant positive political benefits. Why in the world would a rational Republican, thinking only about politics, vote for this bill?

Thankfully, three Republicans expanded the rationale to include jobs for their constituents. Specter secured significant funding for the NIH, which benefits the Philadelphia medical suburbs he needs to survive in 2010. You’ll be amazed at how many medical schools there are in the greater Philly area.

— has culminated into the do-nothing, crisis management, bailout government we have today.

We malingered in Iraq until sectarian violence was out of control, then we implemented a bailout plan, called the surge. We let Katrina sweep through New Orleans and destroy the lives of 100s of thousands of people, with a bailout plan that offered too little too late. We did nothing and watched the subprime mortgage crisis unfold and destroy our economy, then rushed in with a bailout plan that will have little, if any, impact, on our financial well-being in the coming years.

The Reaganism/neo-conservatism mantra is a failed ideology in this and in many other respects.

The democratization of the world through U.S. military adventurism, the privatization of legitimate government functions, supply-side economics, and the deregulation of industries that directly impact the welfare of the American people, are ALL failed neo-conservative ideologies.

“It is morning in America again.” The American public woke up and saw the ugly landscape created by Reaganism/neoconservatism. They seized Election day and reclaimed their constitutional right to a government that governs well. President Obama and his administration have carefully constructed an economic plan to help us along the way.

The Obama Economic Stimulus Plan is an aggressive, progressive plan designed to shore up and strengthen our weakening economy. It is designed to work for all of us, in the short and the long run — to alleviate the human suffering now culminating from past decades of lopsided neoconservative financial policies; and to lay the foundation upon which can be built a more responsible, equitable economy for the decades ahead of us.

Just what you’d expect from Judd Gregg. Any time he can get out of making a controversial decision, he takes a pass. Meanwhile, The people of New Hampshire get only half the representation they should have. If he’s not going to vote, why doesn’t he just resign now?

The Republicans aren’t adding any real ideas to the discussion, and acting like their policies haven’t abjectly failed. This package is imperfect, but it isn’t giving more money to the rich and waiting for it to trickle down, like most of their other plans have been.
To regain a legitimate voice, the Republicans need to work harder and shout less.

there are some people out there who are really nuts.
they are bitter about everything except the bush tax cuts,which they say grace for daily.
but help the middle class, the poor,the unemployed- nahhhh.
more money for iraq- ok!
more money for tax cuts for big spenders- ok.
more bailouts for banks- ok.
paul krugman of the Times is mad at Obama for not doing enough; McConnell in the Senate is having a nervous breakdown from the deficits(not during Bush) and Nancy Pelosi wants to spend us into the next century when we just got into this one.
have you ever seen anything like this-2 wars still going on, a near depression,the earth melting into the oceans,drouts all over,oil set to escalate upwards soon(you can feel it) and Obama is worried about getting republican vote?
Is this the congressional version of WHO’S ON FIRST?

People in congress have jobs and free health benefits and send their kids to private schools, they in effect live in a different country than the one they’re supposed to govern.
They have no skin in the mix.

The rest of the country has shaky or no jobs, expensive or unaffordable health insurance, and the vast majority of their kids go to public schools.

It should be law that congresspeople must provide their own health insurance (monitored to watch for special treatment) and their kids must go to public school.

This is a good thing. With only 3 Republicans laying down, this will be a defining Democrat bill.
When it works and we no longer have to work or pay for it the Democrats get the credit, no pun intended.

In recent weeks, there has been a great deal of debate, political posturing, and public discussion about the current economic crisis in this country. One fact, however, cannot be denied: the mistakes of the past have culminated in this horrendous catastrophe which now threatens the very fabric of American society.

The time has come to demand that our government officials put aside politics and hasten to the business of actually governing this country. Surely, none of us believe that one bill, one “stimulus package” will magically transform this now-bleak economic picture; however, it is my opinion that we ALL must agree that action must be taken, now rather than later. this need transcends party differences, government power-plays, politics as usual, and media sensationalism. These are the elements which contributed to the problem. To become distracted by them once again is not an option. Too much depends upon the people of this nation devoting time, energy, thought, cooperation, and whatever else is necessary to make ameliorate this situation as quickly, as efficiently, and as comprehensively as possible.

I hope those individuals elected to public office, to SERVE this country and its people, to represent the needs of this country and its people, will remember this one, undeniable fact…and not forget it.

We–as citizens, as voters, as parents, workers, business owners, and individuals–cannot afford to ALLOW them to forget it.

What I know about this bill, among other things, is that governors of both parties want it and Republican congressional members oppose it. Doesn’t this tell us that Republican opposition is politically motivated and intended to sabotage any hope of near term recovery for purely partisan reasons?
After all, what do Republicans have to gain politically from the success of current efforts to restore the economy? Nothing. So the hell with it. Let’s sink the ship and ride to the rescue in 4 years, guns blazing about the failure of the Obama administration.
I guess this is par for the course in Washington, never more so then after the scorched earth approach of the puppet Bush.
I think, and hope, that Obama will be much smarter.

Can someone please give me a website to see what is actually in the stimulus bill – the particulars: to whom and for how much will the checks be written, when it will happen, what is the expected outcome, who sponsored the individual item, which items are most in contention. All we hear is that one side wants such and such and the other side doesn’t. Without some details, how is one to have an educated opinion.
Somewhere there is such a website, right?

I’m not sure that most Americans realize this bill will also do great damage to our system of healthcare by nationalizing our healthcare records and creating new controls over how doctors make decisions. I was pleased to see Pew shows poll numbers for Porkulus declining… I think the American people are waking up to the reality of this dangerous and unnecessary bill.
— John D.#2

John I am pleased to see you can still find something negative to say even though you tell us you have prospered in the last year which may make you unique in America if not the Western world. Perhaps you could explain the problem of a nationalized database if it means that if a person falls ill away from home the doctor treating him is instantly able to call up his medical history and so improve the quality of the care.

I do see that you have a very poor opinion of our doctors if you think that any changes would affect the quality of their decision-making.

This stimulus plan was pathetically packed with unnecessary tax breaks and suffered severe cuts in necessary infrastructure spending. Democrats showed themselves, once again, to be entirely corrupt and completely lacking in principles and spine.

The new republican leadership under Rush Limbaugh is going down the trail of self destruction – “America First” are just empty words from have-been “Mavericks” and the nuts who think a tax break for the rich is a better way to stimulate the economy. The November 2010 election will show the GOP once again what the American people want.

Who are these home-schooled representatives obstructing our new administration’s attempt to repair the many years of failed GOP policies? They do not give a tinker’s dam about the nation nor the people – their stand for “principle” is not a stand for America. In the end, they will have to pay the piper!

What I need to understand is the lack of republican support for this bill.

1. President Bush inherited $128 billion surplus and turned it into a $500 billion deficit in 2008.

2. Republican leaders that supported massive spending sprees for war in Iraq and huge tax cuts 2000-2008 are now being “fiscally responsible”

3. War in Iraq and Afghanistan may or may not have been justified – but they have done little to stimulate jobs and the economy

4. Cutting 40B in the senate version of the bill for states will cause huge deficits at the state level and will add to the existing unemployment picture. If anything, this need to have the highest priority.

5. Why was balancing the budget not a priority for Republicans during the 8 years of a Republican president – why did it become the utmost priority overnight, since January 22

All said and done, our spending based economy needs jobs to sustain the economic cycle. We need to bring back the manufacturing base to our country if we need to survive in this global environment. We need to produce goods and services that other nations will buy from us. Importing cheap labor, and goods for consumption will do nothing to improve conditions in our great nation!

The Republicans have some ideas with merit, not spending enough is not one of them. One man’s pork is another man’s job. While most medical facilities are in place, the bump down in emergency room treatment is well worth it. Not cutting services or payments was a good idea from the GOP on medical. Modernizing for energy efficiency all government buildings and schools will pay dividends now and later. Heart disease and anti-smoking campaigns will also be beneficial. I agree with the premise of using the money to build something so it is backed and not enough of that was in this bill. After 6 years of my way or the highway in the Senate and 12 in the House Republicans have the gall to complain about unfairness. An apology first would gain more sympathetic ears at home and in the Senate. Funny how Reaganomic spending by Obama is criticized by Republicans whom he is an idol. Housing and banking should be handled by TARP money, not stimulus. GM is putting a billion into Brazil, whom is five years ahead of us in biofuels and vehicles. Their success gives us a US auto retooling model. High speed magnetic rail should have been part of the stimulus, even with a 100 billion cost. Build things and money is not inflationary, backed by created, be it nuclear power plants, solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, etc. for energy, a water transfer system using nuclear power plants with massive pumps to take care of storm floods. A large man on the moon push for fusion energy should be funded. Free government college scholarships for the top 5% would make gifted children reach their full potential. Energy, education, defense are bills coming on the horizon. This is a start, albeit one that should have been improved.

Where were you when I was expressing outrage about Obama’s strong defense Sen. Tom Daschle – the tax cheat? I don’t remember any leadership from you on that issue. :)Personally, I rely on a moral compass to make decisions…not game theory.

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